Fall to Pieces
by mcquaid
Summary: Hermione starts her fifth year off completely wrong. Will she get her life and her grades back on track? Will her friends help her? Will she ever be able to tell anyone her secret?
1. 1

Hermione Granger looked sadly out the rain-splattered window of the Hogwarts Express, her bangs falling into her eyes. It was nearly dark, but she didn't bother checking her wrist watch to see what time it was. Usually the immature comments made by Slytherin Draco Malfoy didn't bother her. But this time they did. She wasn't convincing herself that over the summer she and Malfoy had become friends, but they definitely closer than they were. She sighed as she half heartedly listened to Ron and Harry and the other occupants of their compartment. The only time she tore her eyes away from the window was to insult Loony, oops I mean Luna, Lovegood about the Quibbler, which she then regretted, after learning that Luna's father was the editor.

She decided it was best for her to look out the window until Ron and her, both the new Gryffindor prefects, had to patrol the train. Numerous thoughts crossed her mind. _I wonder who the next Defense against the dark arts teacher is, _or _I wonder how everyone will act towards Harry, seeing as his name was mentioned in quite a few Daily Prophet articles. _She didn't know why, but she always felt somewhat protective of Harry. He was always getting himself into dangerous situations, and when he did, she felt herself worrying all night about him.

And then there was Ron. When she first met Ron, four years ago, she had to admit she didn't find him admirable. But somehow in those four years he grew on her. A lot. She only went to the Yule Ball with Viktor to make Ron jealous, which she did. She sighed loudly again, to herself. _But what about Malfoy?_ She thought.

In the summer Hermione had met Malfoy on holiday. She didn't exactly know what happened, but that afternoon they were laughing and talking like old friends. He had wrote her all holiday after that. So why was he being so cold to her know? She didn't understand. "That's Malfoy," she muttered under her breath.

"What Hermione?" Ron asked, looking up from his pile of Chocolate frogs. Harry, Neville, and Ginny looked up too, whilst Luna stared dreamily into space.

"Nothing," Hermione said abruptly, sure that she was blushing. Ron simply shrugged and went back to what he was doing. Harry looked at her for a second, and reverted back to Ron.

Just then their compartment door slid open and a pale boy with bleach-blonde hair stood in the doorway, his two cronies on either side of him.

"Well, well, well," Malfoy said with a sneer. Hermione's head popped up and wheeled in the direction of Malfoy, her eyes narrowed.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She asked coolly. He raised his pale eyebrows and laughed.

"Remember, Granger, I'm a prefect now. Don't want to make me mad, would you?"

"Remember, _Malfoy_, I'm a prefect as well. You can't do anything to other prefects." She tried to smile triumphantly, but it didn't work.

Malfoy's smile somewhat vanished, and his eyes darted to Harry. "No," he said, "but I can take points away from your little friends." He said, eyeing Harry with a mixed look of envy and loath.

"Oh _shove off_, Malfoy," Ron said angrily. Malfoy muttered a barely audible 'whatever' and turned on his heel to leave. Before he shut the compartment door shut he winked friendlily at a still scowling Hermione. She was quick to shake it off.

Not long after, the scarlet train was easing to a halt in Hogsmeade station.

"Ron!" She exclaimed, remembering that they were supposed to perform their perfect duties. They made sure all the students were off the train, before stepping on to the platform.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked, looking around.

"Right there," Hermione said, pointing to where Harry was standing with Luna, looking confused. Hermione and Ron walked up to them.

"Can you see them?" Harry asked Ron, bewildered.

Hermione knew Harry was most likely talking about, and tuned out Harry and Ron's conversation. She looked around the platform for Malfoy, but didn't see him. She sighed again, and stepped in to the carriage.

The ride up to Hogwarts was bumpy. As soon as she sat down in the great hall, her eyes skimmed the long teachers table. There was Dumbledore, right in the middle, and an empty spot where Professor McGonagall sat. She probably wasn't there because she was out with the first years. Hermione kept looking around, as she identified each of the teachers. There was one new person sitting at the table. She looked squat and ugly, and just by looking at her, Hermione knew she didn't like her. And, she noticed, someone was missing; Hagrid. _Maybe he is still with the first years. _She thought, slightly panicked. But, come to think of it, he wasn't at the platform, either.

She didn't even notice the missing familiar call of 'Firs' years, this way please!'

_Maybe this isn't going to be such a great year_, she thought, as she looked down the table at all of the Gryffindor students. She looked down pitifully at her plate, which had filled with food.

After she had she had felt a little better. Hogwarts always made her feel good. But it had only lasted for a while, and she was sure that she was going to fall asleep when the new defense against the dark arts teacher, Professor Umbridge, began to talk. Even though she highly disagreed with what she was saying, she listened to every word, because she was sure Harry and Ron weren't. And she was right. After her long, boring speech, Ron and Harry both looked completely clueless.

As she stood up from the long table, she remembered that she and Ron were supposed to show the new first year Gryffindors the way to the common room. As they were walking she convinced herself that she was not that small, or scared looking when she first started Hogwarts. The common room was crowded with student's, and the people didn't thin out until about midnight. After bidding good-night to Ron and Harry, she followed Lavender Brown up to the fifth year Gryffindor girl's dormitory.

A/N: This is my first HP fanfic. I hope you like it so far. Please review!


	2. 2

A/N: Hi! Thanks to those who reviewed! . this is kind of a short chapter, but...oh well. Hope you like! .

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing.

* * *

The morning was dull and dreary. Hermione buried her face in her pillow, but she knew she had to get up and go to class. She met Harry and Ron in the common room, and together they walked down to the great hall.

"What's up, Hermione?" Ron asked wearily as they sat down at the long Gryffindor table. Hermione shook her head slightly and took her schedule, which was being handed to her by Fred Weasley, one of Ron's older twin brothers.

"Yeah, 'Mione, you seem a bit off it," Fred said, smiling. Hermione stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth so she wouldn't have to answer their inquiries. She examined her schedule. History of Magic, Double Potions, Divination, and Double Defense against the Dark Arts. She finished eating and raced off to gather her books.

On the way down to History of Magic she felt someone come up behind her. She turned around to find herself face-to-face with Malfoy.

"Listen...'Mione," He said in an odd voice. "We, um, need to talk, but um.." His words were cut short by the shriek of fellow Slytherin Pansy Parkinson.

"Draco!" She called down the echoing halls. He wheeled around and frowned. Hermione checked her watch. She was well aware that she was early for Professor Binn's class, and that he would not notice her coming in late anyway.

"Eww, Draco! What are you doing talking to that _Mudblood_?!" Pansy asked, walking up.

"Before potions." Draco simply said to Hermione before he jogged off to meet Pansy. Hermione couldn't understand why, but she felt sort of sad when he left, and jealous when he slipped his hand around Pansy. She got angry at herself, and started for History of Magic.

"Come here!" Draco hissed at Hermione when she made her way down to the dungeons. She followed him into a concealed corner.

"What?" She hissed back.

"Look, what happened this...summer..." Draco started, searching for the right words to say.

"Forget it. I'll pretend like it never happened." Hermione said lazily.

"No...it's just. Don't tell anyone." He said, looking around.

"Right," Hermione said. "Wouldn't want everyone to know you, Draco Malfoy, great pureblood Slytherin, hung around a mudblood all summer."

"Ok you're not as bad as some mudbloods..." Draco said, leaning against the cold, hard, wall. "You're not as bad as some purebloods either." He said coolly.

"This whole half-blood, mudblood, pureblood thing is so stupid!" Hermione said.

"I know." Draco said abruptly. His response had surprised Hermione. Malfoy, thinking judging people on what sort of wizarding family they came from stupid? When that was what he was known for, being a pureblood, and hating others?

"What?" Hermione whispered cautiously.

"It's just so stupid..." Malfoy said. "My father. He already has plans on me marrying that...Pansy Parkinson. A nice little pureblood girl."

"Well, isn't Pansy you're girlfriend?" Sneered Hermione.

"Yes," Malfoy responded, "But that doesn't mean I like her. You should know that by now."

"Uh-huh," Hermione muttered rolling her eyes.

Draco sighed and looked at his watch.

"We're going to be late for potions." Hermione said, turning on her heel, joining the rest of the people gathered outside the dungeons.

"What did _she_ want?" Pansy asked Draco when he walked up beside her.

"Nothing," He said, making eye contact with Hermione.

The dungeon door opened and Snape beckoned them in.

"Today," Snape said, walking up to the front of the class, his long black robes billowing behind him, "we will be doing a simple potion. Partner up, instructions on the board."

Hermione found herself being asked by Neville to help him, and, feeling sorry for him, accepted. Since Neville sat at a desk across from Malfoy, Hermione heard every word that he and Pansy Parkinson were saying. And everything was about her.

"Filthy mudblood, why would she want you?" Pansy said, adding a wrong ingredient in her cauldron.

"Yeah," Draco said half-heartedly.

"Doesn't she know you have a girlfriend?" Pansy said. Hermione kept stirring theirs, not hearing what Neville was saying beside her.

"Look," Draco said, "stop calling her a mudblood. The joke's kind of old."

"Don't tell me you feel sorry for the mud...her?" Pansy asked, looking at Hermione thru her black bangs.

"That's a laugh."

Hermione found herself adding the wrong ingredients now. _Could it possibly be that Malfoy actually likes me?_ Hermione thought. _Is it possible he didn't forget what happened this summer?_

Before she knew it Snape was instructing them to take a sample of their potions up to his desk, and they bell was ringing, signaling class was over.


	3. 3

A/N: Hi! Thanks to those who reviewed! . this is kind of a short chapter, but...oh well. Hope you like! .

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing.

* * *

Hermione couldn't concentrate one her lunch, instead she stared down at her plate. She felt Draco's eyes from the Slytherin table. She knew he was looking at her, but she wouldn't look up. It was only one day into the school year and Hermione knew that it was going to be a disaster. Instead of eating she listened to Harry tell Ron about his summer, and the weird dreams he'd been having.

"You've been having weird dreams?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry. "That's not good, Harry."

He grimaced. "I know. And, I'm worried about Sirius."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Because, I think Malfoy knows it was him, as Snuffles, on the platform yesterday." Harry said gently. Hermione felt her eyes widen, and turned to look at Malfoy. When she did he looked away quickly.

"Oh no, Harry." Hermione said, worried. "I don't think he knows." And with that she pushed away from the table, and walked up to the Slytherin one, everyone watching her.

"What's she doing?" Ron asked Harry. Harry shook his head, his dark black hair swinging side to side slightly.

"Malfoy," Hermione said, "I need to talk to you." Even she was shocked with how bold she was acting. Malfoy laughed.

"And why would I want to talk to you, Mudblood?" He asked halfheartedly.

"I need to talk to you," She said again, getting angry. As she said it she felt a presence behind her.

"May I ask why you are harassing Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Granger?" Snape's deep voice asked. Malfoy got up from the table.

"It's nothing, Professor, really," He said nervously. He grabbed the arm of Hermione's robes and pulled her out into the hall.

"Sorry," he said once they were out of earshot.

"For what?"

"Calling you a mudblood." He said, as though it was the most obvious thing. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It's nothing new for you, is it? Anyway, isn't the joke old?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Hermione said, annoyed.

"Look," Draco said, "You don't know anything, ok? You don't understand. You don't know what my dad would do if he found out I was hanging around a...a..."

"Person with no magic parents?" Hermione helped him out.

"Yeah," he said.

"Right. Wouldn't want to upset your father, would we?" She said. She saw Malfoy's expression change. He lifted the sleeve of his robe. Bruises where scattered across his pale arms. Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"What the..."

"Their from my father," Malfoy said, letting go of the sleeve so it slid back down his arm. "When he found the letters you wrote."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, feeling bad. "You should've said something, I would have stopped writing."

"But I didn't want you to stop writing," Draco said sweetly, something very unusual.

Hermione found herself laughing slightly. "Why not?"

"My holiday's are bad enough. Your letters actually made them a little better. They gave me something to look forward to."

This wasn't the Malfoy Hermione had known from the past four years. This wasn't the Malfoy that always terrorized Harry, Ron, and her. This wasn't the cold, evil, Slytherin Prince. This, Hermione decided, was the real Malfoy. The Malfoy she liked.


End file.
